First PK Lovin'
by Natsumiya Teirin
Summary: Love is patient. Love is kind. But love, no matter what its form, is also cruel and possessive. You already know this, don't you? Pokey/Porky x Lucas, Claus x Lucas, and potential Ness x Lucas. Possible Ness x Claus and/or Ninten x Claus. Side pairings include Jeff x Tony, Duster x Kumatora, and MAYBE Paula x Ana. Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

The first thing you notice about the new kid is his eyes. They're blue, but a sad sort of blue, and you see someone else reflected in them- someone who isn't you, and for some reason, that really bugs you.

Then you notice his name, printed in the same loopy writing as everyone else's nametags.

 _Lucas Oakwood_

Right beside that tag is another one, for a boy named Claus. But Claus, according to Lucas, was admitted to the hospital in a coma shortly after they arrived at Onett. You wish that Claus had made it to class, if only so you could give him a well deserved punch in the face. But you don't know if it's for making Lucas sad, or if it's because Lucas cares more about him than he could ever care about you.

But Claus isn't here, so the most you can do is take your frustration out on someone else- probably Picky.

You see Lucas again after school, on your way home. You had to stay after an hour for detention.

Lucas walking towards the hospital, a bouquet of sunflowers in his arms. You almost asked him where he's going, but then you remember what he was saying about his twin, and you figured he was off to visit him. You call out a greeting instead.

"Hey! Lucas!"

He turns his head and stops.

"H-Hello, Pokey…"

"Where ya goin'? Off to visit your brother?"

He nods his head, his ahoge bouncing a little.

"Yeah…"

"Cool! I'll go with you!"

You leave no room for argument, and, on an impulse, grab his wrist and start dragging him to the hospital. You figure he doesn't know his way around quite yet, and use that as an excuse. Naturally, Luca makes a sound of surprise- and protest- but you ignore it. He'll learn soon enough that he can'e fight you.

You enter the hospital and let him go to the receptionist's desk.

He asks for his brother, and the nurse obligingly gives him the room number. Lucas starts walking, and you trail after him, trying to think of something to say.

By the time you finally think of something, you and Lucas are already at the door to Claus's room. It opens with a loud and obnoxious creak, but Lucas doesn't seem to pay it any mind. He holds it open so you can go through before he lets it shut behind the two of you, and you take a moment to look at the figure in the bed.

He has red hair. Or maybe it's more of a copper color? It's darker than Lucas's hair, anyway. His skin is really pale, too- like he's dead, even though he's not.

Lucas sets the sunflowers on the bed and then climbs up to sit beside Claus, and the sad, wistful look on his face is something you don't want to see, ever again.

"Hey Claus…It's me, Lucas…"

The small blond before you sounds softer than normal. Sad, too, and you suppose you can't blame him. That's not to say you'd act the same way if you were in that kind of situation, though. But because you've never been in that situation, you don't even know if _that's_ true.

"Hey…wake up soon, okay?"

Lucas is speaking again, and you give him your attention.

"Dad's been really busy with work, but we have enough as it is. Hurry and wake up so he doesn't have to waste it all, 'kay? School's started up again, too. When you wake up, you'll have to go with me. I can't wait for you to meet everyone…I bet you and Ness would get along great…"

Tears were falling, and you wondered, then, if he even noticed. He probably did, but chose to ignore them. You think so, because that's what you would do.

You take this chance to speak up.

"So…this is Claus, huh…looks a lot like you…"

 _Except not quite as cute_ , but that part was better left unsaid.

Lucas nodded, a sad smile on his features as he stroked Claus's hair with one of his hands.

"Yeah…everyone back home said that, too…but we're not all that similar, not really. The truth is…"

You take a seat on one of the uncomfortable plastic chairs by the bed and lean forward, slouching a little, just to hear more of that soothingly soft voice.

"Claus has always been stronger than me. 'Lucas is the sweet one, and Claus is the strong one,' is what mom always told us. 'So it's Claus's job to keep Lucas safe, and it's Lucas's job to keep everyone happy.' Claus was faster than me, and he could carry more than I ever could. He was always at my side, keeping me safe from the other villagers' harsh words. When mom died- when she was killed- he went off to avenge her. I…I told him to stop, th-that the d-d-dra-drago would…b-but he…h-he yelled at me…a-and then…and then he left…"

Lucas trailed off there and began crying. It probably hurt to remember, just like it hurt you to remember your great great grandpa whom you were named after. You wished there was something you could do, even if just to stop the memories from hurting.

But the most you can do is offer Lucas a hug, and you do and he accepts it, sobbing brokenly into your shoulder. It takes a bit, but eventually, he stops crying. He rubs his eyes and looks back down at Claus.

"I..I need to get stronger…because now, from now until he wakes up, and from then until after his brain heals, it's my turn to protect him." His voice is determined.

"I'll even hurt someone if I have to…but I don't want it to come to that, so Claus, please wake up soon…"

He gives Claus a pat on the head and a kiss on the cheek. It looks a little weird, but a part of you wants that to be you Lucas is caring so much for. Regardless, you deny it and brush it off as some sort of strange village ritual.

Then, you go home and go straight to sleep.

 **Pokey: be the other guy.**

You are now a young boy named Lucas Oakwood.

You're currently asleep, and you are consciously aware of that. You are also aware that you are in the middle of a dream.

You're in a cave of some sort, and there's someone across from you. Three of your friends are at your side, but you can't make out their faces. The helmeted figure across from you unleashes a fatal thunder attack, and your three friends take mortal damage. Then the figure is right up in your face- good lord is that uncomfortable. He takes your hand, and you can feel the metal of his own hand underneath the glove. He puts your hand on his chest and smiles, and it feels…sad, but also impatient and somehow glad.

"Lucas. Lucas. Feel how my heart beats? It beats just for you. Lucas…don't worry Lucas, I'll be there real soon, I promise."

His voice sounds similar to Claus's, but deeper- but not much deeper. He suddenly disappears, and you wake up to your faithful dog Boney licking your face.

You remember the dream clearly, even after you're completely awake, and as you walk to school, you mull it over.

That masked man seemed a lot like Claus, but it couldn't possibly be him. Your brother would never kill your friends. Right?

You enter the school building, and feel like someone's watching you. You try to ignore it and enter the classroom and take your assigned seat beside Ness. Ms. Tessie enters the classroom, a red-haired boy following behind her.

"Class, today we have a new student. Please give Claus Oakwood a warm welcome."

Everyone else claps loudly, but you don't.

That person isn't Claus. Claus is still in the hospital, asleep. You just saw him yesterday, and even if he did wake up after you left, the doctors would want to keep him for further testing, and physical and mental therapy. He wouldn't be at school today.

He sits beside you and smiles, then takes your hand from your lap and squeezes it.

"I've missed you, Lucas."

You say nothing in response.

After school, you don't even wait for him, but it doesn't seem to matter. He's at your side as soon as you exit the building, commenting about how fast and strong you've grown. It gives you a little bit of a prideful feeling, but you don't let it show. You enter the local florist's shop and buy a bunch of sunflowers before heading to the hospital. You ask for Claus Oakwood, and the doppelgänger beside you shoots a questioning look.

You ignore him for now and make your way to the room your brother is staying in. You have to see if your hunch is accurate.

The door slides open, and you almost let out a sigh of relief.

Your brother is laying down on the bed, sleeping peacefully. You allow the other Claus to enter before you shut the door, and then you look at him.

"….Who are you?" you ask him, trying to keep your voice neutral. "You're not _my_ Claus- can't be, because he's right there. So- who are you?"

The other Clause looks at you, then at the real Claus.

"Lucas? What are you talking about? _I'm_ Claus. Remember? Oh no, maybe King P screwed with your head worse than I thought…"

You have no idea what this guy's saying.

"Regardless though…this fake needs to go."

He pulls out a sword, and a feeling of dread settles in your stomach.

"It's for your own good Lucas- you'll thank me later."

A bolt of lightning strikes down and hits Claus- _your_ Claus- and you cry out, confused and afraid. Your brother convulses on the bed before letting out a scream of pain. And then, it stops. You can hear your twin's heavy breathing, and now you know he's awake.

He sits up and looks at you, and you find yourself overrun by your emotions. You drop the sunflowers and make to embrace him, but the other Claus steps in front of you.

"I was hoping to kill him…oh well. Lucas, stay back. This phony will only hurt you."

And you see your twin's terrified face.

"Ruka? What's going on? Who's this weirdo? What's he talking about?"

Never have you heard your older brother sound so afraid. It makes you afraid, too.

But before anything can be said, a nurse barges in and escorts both you and the other Claus out, claiming that she needs to run some tests on Claus and that not even relatives are allowed to be present. You nod in understanding and attempt to ignore Claus begging them to let you be with him. You send him a reassuring smile and quickly exit the building. Beside you, the other Claus is fuming, but you ignore him. He tried to kill your brother, and you can't ever forgive that.

You enter your house, and this time, as it has been for the last couple months, your father is out. You see a note on the kitchen table, but you don't want to bother with it just now.

You sigh as a door slams shut upstairs. The other Claus hasn't calmed down yet. You have a feeling it's going to be a very long night….


	2. Chapter 2

**Lucas: be Claus.**

You are now Claus Oakwood. You just arrived at Onett and-

 **No! Not** _ **that**_ **Claus! Be the** _ **other**_ **Claus.**

You are now the real Claus Oakwood. You've just been forced out of a coma yesterday, unintentionally, by someone who looked a lot like you. The doctors tested you that night and deemed it safe for you to go home, provided you come back three days a week for therapy. Your dad should be arriving soon to take you home. You can hardly wait.

You and Lucas have lots to catch up on- most importantly, the strange guy who looked like you. What did he mean "phony"? If anything, _he_ was the faker trying to replace him! And if he got that done, who knew what he'd do to Lucas!

Older brothers were supposed to protect their younger ones- that's why they came into the world first, right? And there was no way he'd let that weird look-alike hurt Lucas! His blond twin was too sweet for that!

 **Claus: be Ness**

You are now Ness.

You have no idea what the hell happened last night, but Lucas came to class the next morning looking very unsettled. You wonder what's wrong, but you don't feel comfortable asking with Claus around. Mostly because that guy gives you the creeps. And _he's_ Lucas's twin brother? Something seems fishy.

You decide to ask Lucas about it at lunch.

XxX

At lunch, you manage to get Lucas alone. He seems a little startled, but right now, you have bigger fish to fry.

"Say, Lucas? Is that guy _really_ Claus? He's kinda creepy…"

Lucas has this look on his face, almost like he wants to tell you something. But he swallows and waits, so you go on.

"Pokey told me what you said about Claus, and…the guy who sits next to you isn't anything like I thought he'd be. And he just seems too weird besides that."

He starts to speak.

"Well…ahh…it's…Claus is-"

"Ah! There you are Ruka! Yeesh, I take my eyes off you for one second, and you just disappear!"

Claus interrupts, and something seems fishy about that, too.

"Sorry, Claus," you apologize, "I was asking Lucas for help with the assignment Ms. Tess gave us."

He doesn't seem to notice the lie. But this is a problem. You still need to talk to Lucas. But- wait! An idea comes to you.

"ah, yeah, I still need a little help with that. Hey, Lucas, think you can make it to my house tonight? Mom'll be happy to meet you, and she can cook dinner for all of us, too!"

Lucas, who was just starting to walk away until you started speaking, turned around.

"Sure, Ness!"

He smiles, and it sparkles, and sparks up a strange fluttery feeling in your chest. You brush it off as soon as Lucas turns back around and decide to go to the baseball field to keep yourself busy.

 **Ness: be Lucas.**

You enter your house and smell soup. Though you'd normally take anything over your dad's cooking- which is usually bland and boring-today, after having had to feed yourself for the last couple months, it smells heavenly. The other Claus seems to agree, as he hums in delight.

Which reminds you, you haven't told dad about your new…relative. You'll have to get to that some time, preferably before he blows a gasket and ends up in jail again- not that the first time really counted, you think.

But pushing that aside, you make your way to the couch and grin at the sight of your twin looking at a picture book. You assume dad bought it for him, to help with his recovery.

You sit beside him, and see the other Claus quietly retreat upstairs.

"Claus," you begin," I'm home, Claus."

It takes him a minute to look up at you, and another minute still to even attempt speaking.

"…aaaa….h…hhhhaaaaaaiii 'kkaaaassss…"

His speech is slurred heavily, and his voice is soft- softer than you've ever heard it. You figure he's afraid of looking stupid.

"sssrrryyy….cchhhaaaallllkliingzzz…"

You cut him off- sort of- and slowly pull him into a hug.

"It's okay Claus! You're trying real hard, and you're already doing good!"

He smiles up at you, and it's a little crooked, but you can still see how happy he is.

"Hey Claus, do you want to meet one of my friends?" You figure this would be a good chance to tell Ness about the other Claus, and keep the real Claus safe at the same time.

The real Claus nods, and you rephrase the question to make sure he understands.

"Do you want to stay home?"

He shakes his head, and you smile down at him. All that time in the hospital has made him really thin and boney. He's smaller than you now.

"Dad- I'm taking Claus outside for a bit!"

"Be back before supper!"

Grinning wider at your dad's approval, you scoop Claus into your arms- mostly just to keep him close- and you notice how light he is. It's rather sobering.

You awkwardly turn yourself to open the door and kick it closed with your foot as you leave. Ness's house is just at the top of the hill. You start walking, and realize it's not as much of a challenge for you as it might've been last year. You suppose you really have grown a little.

You approach the house and notice a much larger house beside it. The name on the mailbox reads _Minch_. Maybe Pokey lives there? But right now, that doesn't really matter. You're here to see Ness.

You knock on the door and a friendly looking blonde woman answers with a smile.

"Oh, hello there. You must be Lucas. Come on inside."

You enter the house and shut the door behind you.

"thank you very much for having me, ma'am."

"It's no trouble at all. Ness is in his room. Tracy, can you bring Lucas up there?"

A young girl peeks her head out from the hallway. She is also blonde, like her mother.

"Okay mama. C'mon."

She starts walking up the staircase and you follow close behind her as Claus looks around from his place in your arms. You come to a wooden door, and Tracy leaves you there. You knock, and Ness answers it. He grins and then shoots a curious look towards Claus.

"Hey Lucas! Oh, Pokey's here too- that's ok, right?"

That's actually more than ok. Pokey might be able to help you explain things- to a point. You nod, and Ness steps aside to let you enter.

You set Claus down, letting him sit on the bed, and you yourself sit cross-legged on the floor beside him. Pokey's sitting on a beanbag near the center of the room, and Ness sits down a few feet across from him.

You take a deep breath and begin to speak.

"This is the real Claus." Pokey nods his confirmation and Ness looks between you and Claus quizzically.

You decide to elaborate further.

"The Claus that came to school yesterday isn't my brother. _My_ Claus was still in a coma yesterday, until this fake tried to kill him. Except he accidentally woke him up instead."

Pokey raises his hand.

"But why would anyone wanna kill him? He was in a coma, right?"

You nod, unsure.

"That's right. This fake Claus insisted that he's my Claus, and that my Claus was the fake, and only meant to hurt me. It doesn't make any sense…but….it sounded almost like he was trying- _is_ trying- to replace him."

A bad feeling settles in your stomach…

 **Lucas: be the Commander.**

You are now the other Claus. You peer over the railing to see Lucas and the fake leave the house. But why is Lucas carrying him in such a way? No- why isn't Lucas leading _you_ out?!

That faker needs to be gotten rid of, before he corrupts your innocent brother any more than he has, but you know you can't do that with your dad around. You might hurt him, and neither you nor Lucas would want that. You've already lost your mom.

Though that brings up another problem, too. You fully intend on staying with Lucas, but with the fake Claus around, you can't do that without your dad asking questions. You're lucky he didn't see you yet.

You decide to sneak out of the house to further decrease the risk of him seeing you, and wind up in a bush at the side of the house. You crawl out of it and make your way down to the arcade. Video games are a good enough way to train your reflexes.


	3. Chapter 3

You are now a well-aged man by the name of Porky Minch. The year is approximately 2045, and you've finally taken control of the Nowhere Islands. Finally, your conquest has come to an end.

But you are still greatly unsettled by something.

As of late, you've been experiencing strangely vivid dreams- no, _memories_ is a more accurate word- of a boy with blond hair. He resembles your Commander, looking back. You almost want to order him brought to you. Maybe then you could solve this problem. But even if he can't do anything, you're sure he'd be fun to play with. His appearance suggests, to you anyway, that he'd have some very pleasant- sounding screams, and you want to test that theory.

You call for the Commander.

As you've come to expect, he arrives promptly, almost as soon as you put down the receiver. You order him to find the strange boy who resembles him, but then he does something that takes you off guard.

"You killed him, Master Porky," he says, and then he removes his helmet. With no prompting on your part. A part of you is annoyed by this, but only mildly.

"Oh? Shame. I would've liked to see him scream. I might have even let you play with him, too. Let you break him like the monster I made you-"

Something hard hits you in the stomach, and you are cut off by a coughing fit.

"You never made me anything but a _murderer_." The Commander's voice rings heavily in your ears, and you feel sharp tingles of pain travel down your body.

"You made me kill my friends. You made me hurt my father. You killed my mother."

Each sentence is accentuated with a sharp kick to your already sore stomach.

"You killed my _brother_. For that, I'd give you the slowest and most painful death I could."

You hear more than see him charge up his sword, and you realize this is the end. The other soldiers couldn't hope to stand up against the Commander, even if they were able to access your quarters without special clearance.

"But…" he continues speaking, and you hear the whirring of his canon charging up, "Lucas wouldn't want that. Lucas was a kind boy. And now, it's time for me to fulfill his wish. Goodbye, Porky Minch."

Hot, burning agony consumes you for a split second before everything abruptly goes numb, and your vision suddenly fades.

You are now dead.

 **Be the Commander.**

You are now the (former) Commander of Porky's army.

You kneel down before the charred corpse of your former king and feel a sense of accomplishment. You've avenged Lucas. You've finally avenged your mom. You should feel happy, but…something about this feels…wrong.

It could just be long-buried sentimentalities coming to resurface, but you feel as if it should've been you who'd died, rather than your twin. You wonder, idly, if there's a way to make everything right. Maybe there is, but before anything can be done, you figure you should see Dr. Andernauts about fixing your prosthetic limbs. Of course, you have no idea if this is even possible, but you may as well try.

 **Commander Claus, be the Doctor.**

You are now Doctor Andernauts.

The Commander's been prepped for surgery, and you're sure things'll go as planned. But as you begin your work, you can't help but let your thoughts stray to another project you've been working on.

You haven't even given it a proper name yet, even though it's very close to completion. You and the other scientists refer to it as Project Parallel, but that hardly seems professional. In any case, you still need a test subject for it.

Maybe the Commander would be willing…? It seems so, judging by what he's told you earlier. You decide you'll give him more information about it when he wakes up. But for now, you slip off your gloves and wait.

 **Elsewhere…**

 **You are once again the Commander.**

A sharp pain blossoms through your chest- not just the pain of failure, but also the pain of a drago fang piercing your heart. You suppose this is what you get for trying to keep your mom from dying, even if you _did_ save your alternate self.

The small black device in your pocket begins to vibrate, and suddenly, you vanish from that world and its plane of existence.

You move on to another world.

 **Commander Claus: become your twin.**

You are now again Lucas.

After telling Ness, Pokey, and Claus everything you know- and assume- of the other Claus, you realize there's still time before you have to go home. You and your newfound friends decide to use this time to help Claus catch up a little bit in school. He seems to be understanding things well enough, but you can't be entirely sure, and you don't want to risk overloading his brain.

You wish you'd thought to bring that picture book along.

Time passes by relatively quickly, and you feel exceptionally close to Pokey and Ness by the time you and your bro have to head home. Dinner smells delicious, and you wish you could stay for it, but you wouldn't want to impose, and your dad said to be back before supper. So you carry Claus out the door. He insists that he can walk, but you aren't having it. In case that other Claus shows up, it'd be easier to run away this way.

You enter your house to the smell of soup and freshly baked bread. It doesn't smell quite as savory as the food Ness's mom was cooking, but it still smells good. You leave Claus in a chair at the dining table and run upstairs to check for signs of the other Claus. You find nothing, and return downstairs, where dad's already at the table with bowls of soup for himself, you, and Claus, and pieces of bread to dip into it.

You sit down and tuck in. Dinner is mostly silent, save for dad asking about your day. You are mostly honest, leaving out the parts involving the other Claus. Though you're sure he knows you're hiding something- you've never been a good liar-you don't want to risk him getting hurt by bringing it up.

After dinner, you go into your and Claus's room. It no longer feels as empty, since you know that tonight, your twin can sleep with you like you two did back in Tazmilly.

You change into your favorite striped pajamas and brush your teeth quickly before settling into bed. A while later, just as you're falling asleep, you feel your dad place Claus in bed beside you. You automatically wrap your arms around him as he turns to face you, his arms doing the same. You smile and fall asleep.

 **And then, you dream…**

But is it really you?

In this dream, you see a giant mechanical gorilla. You pelt it with something called PK Thunder, but you have no idea what that is, even though you feel you should. But your attack doesn't seem to make a dent in it. Nor do your friends', for that matter. But it goes down regardless, and you wake up just as it falls in on itself and explodes in a mess of sparks and electric crackles.

Your fingertips are tingling in a way that you only remember coming from touching a light switch after rubbing your feet against the carpet.

It's a familiar electric tingle that sends certain words through your mind, but you just _know_ it isn't safe to speak them here, and at this time.

You instead crawl out of bed and begin to get ready for the day. It's only Wednesday, but you already feel like it's been a long week. But as your dear deceased mom said, Wednesday is the top of the hill, so if you can just clear it, everything will be fine.

You slip on your shoes, lacing them up tightly, and look at your sleeping twin. Until he fully recovers, your dad has work off, and for that you're immensely grateful. Dad can keep Claus safe. You're sure of that much. And with that in mind, you feel you can safely walk to school with a clearer mind.

XxX

You enter the school grounds and are met by a classmate named…Nintendo? No, no, just Ninten.

"Hiya Lucas!"

He's chipper as ever, it seems.

"Where's Claus?" he asks, and no one can miss the curiosity in his voice.

"Claus is-"

"Right here."

You try really hard not to jump as the more adult voice of the other Claus sounds right behind you. When did he get there? Ninten seems just as startled as you.

"Did you need me for something, Ninten?"

The boy's cheeks are a flustered pink, and you watch as he coughs.

"N-No! Not at all! I was…I was just curious, 's all…"

The other Claus smiles, radiating satisfaction, and grabs your hand.

"Oh. Okay then! C'mon Lucas- let's get to class!"

He drags you along before you can react, and you allow it, but only so you don't cause scene.

Ness and Pokey are already there, but they're talking with a group of students. You recognize Jeff, Paula, Ana, and Poo, but you've never really talked to them much aside from greetings on that first day. Though you might've also run into Ness once or twice in the weeks before you started school.

You sit down in your desk and pull out your notebook as the morning bell rings. Ms. Tessie enters the classroom and the day's lesson begins.

 **Lucas: be Claus.**

You are bored out of your mind. Wait, no. You still _have_ your mind, after all. But really, you are pretty bored. All you have for company right now is your dad, who just isn't a talkative or playful person, and Boney, who…can't really do anything with you.

You resign yourself to the pile of picture books on the desk in the living room, which have long since stopped interesting you, and attempt speaking every hour or so, until you run out of things to say.

God, you wish Lucas were here right now. Sure, he wasn't very talkative either, but his presence alone would help you recover, just like it helped you get stronger- and vice versa- when the both of you were born. And unlike dad's silent smiles and approving nods, Lucas would praise you verbally- as he always did when praising anyone for anything, since it was so rare for him to speak up, and doing so made it extra special to the recipient.

You put down a picture book and stand up. A walk would do you some good, you think.

You grab a notepad and pencil and try to scribble out a quick note to your dad. It comes out just barely legible, and it doesn't please you at all. But you suppose it'll have to do.

You leave the note on the kitchen counter and go into the foyer to slip on your shoes. Then, you exit the house.

The air is cool with the beginnings of fall, and it feels great against your face. You decide to explore for a bit and go downhill to Mach Pizza. You don't have any money, but you're not really all that hungry anyway. Only curious to see what else there is in this small town.

You pass by the local school and catch a glimpse of Lucas standing behind that strange person who looks like you. It looks like they're going inside.

That other you gives you bad vibes, even from here. You make a silent promise to do your best to avoid him, though you know that as long as he hangs around Lucas, that won't be a very easy feat.

Suddenly feeling tired- and you figure your brain's been overworked and is thus- you decide to go back home.

It doesn't look like your dad's had a chance to see the letter, much less notice that you were gone. So you take the note and burn it in the fireplace- which is always lit, because a home without a fire just isn't a home at all.


End file.
